Festive fruit and veg more accessible thanks to local project

The University, community food researchers and wholesaler Tamar Fresh have delivered the Fresh Street Community project
Fresh Street Community project Whitleigh

A project to help local people access fruit and veg more easily for their Christmas dinners and beyond has been hailed a success.
Known as Fresh Street Community project, the pilot voucher scheme delivered in Whitleigh, Plymouth has seen an increase in local fruit and veg consumption.
Led by a team comprising of community food researchers, University of Plymouth academics and students, and fruit and vegetable wholesaler Tamar Fresh, the two-year project saw local residents given vouchers to pick up fresh fruit and veg fortnightly from the Salvation Army Hall.
Fresh Street community veg boxes in hall
Hands on fruit and veg fresh street community
In addition to collecting their boxes, residents involved in the scheme were encouraged to connect and swap recipes, with results showing an increase in social connections as well as healthy living.

I am eating much healthier and lost 4.5 stones since I started using Fresh Street.

I like that I am doing more for the community and getting out. Before I used to buy one-pound ready meals from value supermarkets which were not making me feel good but now with Fresh Street I cook meals from scratch regularly using the fresh fruit and veg.
Fresh Street participant 
Delighted that more veg will be appearing on people’s Christmas dinners this year, the team is now hosting a community celebration event on Friday 13 December to share festive food – as well as exploring next steps to sustain the project’s success.
The Fresh Street Community project is part of ongoing research led by Dr Clare Pettinger at the University of Plymouth to improve access to food that is healthy, affordable and sustainable for local people.

Plymouth has communities that have difficulty accessing fresh quality food items.

We have learnt from our research that local people want to eat more fruit/vegetables and feel better when they do. 
This project engaged many local citizens and made fresh produce available for them in familiar local spaces. 

Clare PettingerDr Clare Pettinger
Associate Professor in Public Health Dietetics

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